T Minus 10

Well two weeks from now and I will be well into my 4th or 5th pint down at The Lord Arthur Lee Wetherspoon's in Fareham celebrating with colleagues my 'escape'. Quite a few said they will be there. I don't know if I should feel warm about that or whether it was just because I offered to buy anyone who turned up a drink!

The last few weeks have been quite hard at work really. I am starting to realise the enormity of it all. The handover document that had my simple task list has become 'Yellow Pages' according to one of the potential successors to my work. So suddenly my diary has become packed with handover meetings and blasting away at finishing off those little jobs I kept putting on the back burner. The new Wizkid support site has gone live, the support processes are tied down better. I'm struggling through the simplification of the Studywiz ePortfolio for Wizkid and wondering why I ever bothered setting up a trial of parent accounts because the schools involved haven't really done anything with it for one perfectly valid reason or another. If you ever want to develop a service change that involves schools piloting or testing, give yourself loads of time and communicate, communicate, communicate because you can bet your bottom dollar the school teachers won't. they're too busy and don't understand the depth of work you are beavering about on at the back end that really needs commitment and feedback on to avoid wasting time.

But what to do next? There was a great verse came up at church on Wednesday.

Isaiah 43

18 “Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
19 See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the desert
and streams in the wasteland.
20 The wild animals honor me,
the jackals and the owls,
because I provide water in the desert
and streams in the wasteland,
to give drink to my people, my chosen,
21 the people I formed for myself
that they may proclaim my praise.

A couple of circumstances and this verse have created thoughts. How about running a pub? Our local right next to our church has starting advertising a lease for sale. Kathy and I have got quite interested. Why not have Christians running a pub with the offer of advice, guidance and a prayer room at the back for the punters? All those guys burying their heads in pint after pint could access some real help. 'Pint and a Prayer!' for anyone? Of course there are difficulties to deal with. We couldn't have slot machines or gambling going on. But we would want to bring back loads of old pub games that don't seem to be available these days. Anyway we shall see. I'm putting it before The Man upstairs to see what He says.

Oddly I have spotted that there are loads of pubs up for sale. Some are freehold, some leasehold. Those that are leasehold may be 'tied' to a brewery or drinks company others are free. The business seems to be difficult for many right now. But then if God wants us to do it He will bless it in one way or another. That's what's great about being a believer. Hope and Peace. All really exciting. Horizons broaden when you get into a relationship with Jesus. Things are never the same again.

Totally separate to this (at least as far as I can tell!) I've also decided to do some volunteer work with a special school in April. Just another thing that has come up after meeting with several special school teachers over the last term or so. I'm particularly moved by kids in wheelchairs because of cerebral palsy. In the past I have helped out with a couple of children, one with severe physical problems and the other less so.

Oh and I am Looking forward to a week's break between the end of 'something old' and the start of 'something new'.

So T-10 and counting...